SteamOS
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| Developer | Valve Corporation |
|---|---|
| OS family | Unix-like |
| Working state | Under development (Public Beta) |
| Source model | Open source base system with closed source components |
| Initial release | December 13, 2013 |
| Latest release | Brewmaster release 2.98 (November 30, 2016) |
| Latest preview | Brewmaster_beta release 2.110 (January 19, 2017) |
| Marketing target | Gaming, entertainment |
| Available in | Various languages |
| Update method | APT |
| Package manager | dpkg |
| Platforms | x86-64 |
| Kernel type | Monolithic (Linux) |
| Userland | GNU |
| Default user interface | Steam |
| Official website | store |
SteamOS is a Debian-based Linux operating system by Valve Corporation and is the primary operating system for Valve's Steam Machine video game console. It was released alongside the start of end-user beta testing of Steam Machines in December 2013.
SteamOS is designed primarily for playing video games away from a PC (such as from the couch in one's living room) by providing a console-like experience using generic PC hardware that can connect directly to a television. It can run games natively that have been developed for Linux and purchased from the Steam store. Users are also able to stream games from their Windows, Mac or Linux computers to one running SteamOS, and it incorporates the same family sharing and restrictions as Steam on the desktop. Valve claims that it has "achieved significant performance increases in graphics processing" through SteamOS. The operating system is open source, allowing users to build on or adapt the source code, though the actual Steam client is closed.
Since SteamOS is solely for playing games without use of mouse or keyboard, it does not have many built-in functions beyond web browsing and playing games; for example, there is no file manager or image viewer installed by default. Users can, however, access the available GNOME desktop environment and perform tasks like installing other software. Though the OS does not, in its current form, support streaming services, Valve is in talks with streaming companies such as Spotify and Netflix to bring their features to SteamOS., However Steam does have full-length films from indie movie makers available from their store. The OS natively supports Nvidia, Intel, and AMD graphics processors.
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